Barcelona seal first sale of the summer with Serie A side

Barcelona have secured their first sale of the summer, with left-back Alex Valle moving to Como 1907. The 21-year-old has spent a second season in a row out on loan, and was not set for opportunities next season under Hansi Flick.

Valle initially made progress under Xavi Hernandez, playing the 2023 preseason with the senior Barcelona team, before heading to Levante on loan last season. He was a starter for the first half of the season, but lost his spot in the second half of the year with a change of manager. The following preseason, Valle also found himself behind Gerard Martin in the pecking order, featuring more often at right-back.

Heading to Celtic this time, Valle shared game time with Greg Taylor until January, when former Barcelona man Cesc Fabregas came calling with Como. Since arriving in Italy, Valle has become a de facto starter for Como. As part of the loan agreement, Como had a €6m buy option, which Jijantes say they have activated. They will pay €4m up front with a further €2m to come in instalments.

They were not the only side interested, with Real Betis and Borussia Dortmund reportedly getting in touch with his agent, but it appears that Valle was keen on a move to Lake Garda too.

Part of the reason that the move has happened is the progress of Gerard Martin. Despite struggling in the Champions League against Inter, Martin appears to have done enough to win the deputy role to Alejandro Balde, convincing Flick of his attributes.

Martin signed an extension until 2028 earlier this season, and will compete for game time with Balde next season. Another renewal recently signed until 2028 was that of Jofre Torrents. The 18-year-old is highly rated by Director of Football Deco, and his progress with the under-19s and latterly Barca Atletic have convinced Barcelona that he could progress to the first team sooner or later too.